Just got an email from MTV USA telling me that they would love to add Warriors Tongue to their rotation, but first I have to remove the word "GUNS" from the entire song (which is the hook!) Oh yeah, they weren't feeling the opening scene with the shotgun pointed straight at the camera as well. Is this the same station that runs Jackass and teen mom? I guess reality TV just got too real.

With they likkle guns come, Man a wanna bust guns

On the run, how I come with that warrior song

Got my back to the sun, When I rise I’m the One

Chosen for the day, proud. I’m that warriors song - I speak that warriors tongue.

The message of the song is speaking about how there is a lot of violence and negativity in the world - whether physical guns or just aggression, bullying and hate that people feel they have to inflict on one another. In spite of this, a true warrior has to learn that his or her words are more powerful than these "guns" so stand proud and write your own song- even if there are times where you feel that you are standing alone. Who Jah bless, no man can curse.

In the past week I've also been criticized for the Warriors Tongue Remix video, as being racist for wearing a First Nations head dress in the piece. "F*ck your bad pop music, this isn't Hiphop". I never know why some heads feel compelled to tell another artists what is or isn't Hiphop. Have you been around the world and seen how Hiphop has shaped communities and been adapted by different cultures? ODB is hiphop. MIA is hiphop. Big Sean is Hiphop. A$AP Rocky is Hiphop. Just as you don't want to call your deadbeat uncle who smells bad your family - too bad...it's blood, he's still family. He's as much family as your rich aunt that buys nice things and gets her ass kissed.

I guess that's been my conundrum: too hood for pop music and too pop for hood music. MTV wants "guns" removed even that would defeat the message of that song - telling people to PUT DOWN their guns and speak the Warrior's language. Online hiphop haters (and quite possibly aspiring rappers) are angry that the song isn't 90bpm boom bap Hiphop stagnated in the late 90s with lyrics explicating the 4 elements of Hiphop over and over again ad nauseum. Oh the many interpretations of poetry. The hate mail, censorship, criticsm gets tiresome at times but my only solution is to just be me. Why must we only stick to our own culture or remain 1 dimensional in defined realities. This IS me! That kid with the shot gun that we caught on streets in Tondor...that is reality. I can only represent my own reality. I guess that's somewhere in between city lights and gully. Hmm...better give MTV Canada a call.

LYRICS TO WARRIORS TONGUE

Peace time

War this evening.

Ying Yang, changing creeping.

No time for sleeping.

My heart is heavy and deep

And on the hustle like grind, throw your sign when the chime goes beep

FEATURED

WATCH

MORE FROM BLOG

During my recent trip to Bangkok for shows, I missed the first 2 lessons from Pioneer DJ AsiaCentre. I caught up with my friend, 2 time Red Bull 3Style National Champion for Thailand DJ Bomber Selecta to get some foundation lessons on DJing, mixing and blending. I met him at Kreatah DJ Skool to learn!

Our first stop is Sambelan CUK! newly open restaurant of soulful crooner Denny Frust. If you follow this former font man of Indonesian Ska outift Monkeyboots on IG, it's exhausting to keep up with his touring schedule - rocking thousands of kids and Rocksteady fanatics across Indonesia, he is in a different city every night...

In this series, we take a casual stroll through Saigon, exploring the backstages and underground spots of the rising Reggae & Dub scene, eat some amazing Vietnamese food and visit the best coffee shops and co-working spaces to get shit done as a traveling artist (good wifi is a must!).